An example of the conventional optical connector cleaning tools of this kind is described in, e.g., patent literature 1. This optical connector cleaning tool disclosed in patent literature 1 includes a housing having a size which the user can grip in his or her hand, a cleaning tape accommodated in this housing, and a tape feeding mechanism for feeding the cleaning tape.
The housing has a relatively narrow cylindrical portion. A cleaning head for pressing the cleaning tape against an optical connector is formed at the distal end portion of this cylindrical portion. The cleaning tape is pulled out from a supply reel accommodated in the housing to the front surface side of the cleaning head through the above-mentioned cylindrical portion. Also, this cleaning tape is reversed by the cleaning head, and guided to a winding bobbin in the housing through the cylindrical portion.
The above-mentioned tape feeding mechanism includes an operation dial rotatably formed in the housing, and rotates the winding bobbin together with this operation dial.
When cleaning the connection end face of an optical connector by using this conventional optical connector cleaning tool, the user grips the housing, presses the cleaning tape together with the cleaning head against the optical connector, and rotates the operation dial in this state.
Patent literature 2 has disclosed an optical connector cleaning tool capable of feeding a cleaning thread by the force of pressing a cleaning member against an optical connector. This optical connector cleaning tool described in patent literature 2 converts the above-mentioned pressing force into a rotational force by using a cam having a spiral groove, thereby rotating a cleaning head and winding the cleaning thread.